_{Vietnam students, Vows and annual retreat by Zoom - from Quang MSC}

HOPE FROM HOPELESS

LIFE FROM DEATH

No one in the world likes to live in any difficulty, or crisis, or disaster, or pandemic, etc. Normally, the people have to face up to these unexpectant situations in daily life in order to survive or to find the meaning of life. I would like to borrow an image, the soil and the tree, that Uncle Đẹp Lão (nick name), MSC sent me this morning in order to express my feelings and my thought in the event of renewal of vows that happened in our community in Vietnam on this morning, August, 14.

God as soil is still there, at the root of the tree or somewhere else. The people as a tree have to cling on to the soil to grow up. It takes nutrient source from the soil for its life. But sometimes, for some reason, there is less soil or no soil at all at some branches of the root of the tree. It causes many difficulties for the life of the tree. Naturally, the soil is not enough for the tree, because of landslide or because some roots of the tree have no capacity to hold the soil for themselves or people don’t take care for the tree carefully. If this situation still persists, the tree will be dead.

At the moment, all the people in over the world, particularly in HCM City are facing up to a terrible and horrible disaster, Coronavirus-19 pandemic. Thousands of people are infected and hundreds of people die every day. The people now live in fear, panic and even suspecting each other. We lockdown ourselves from ward to ward, from house to house, and even from person to person. However, the people are trying best to keep their lives moving on. Every second of life, they try to regain the life from the Reaper.

In this situation, our brothers renew their vows. It’s so hard for us to have this celebration as a community garthering, because we can’t move from house to house, even though we are so near each other. In Le Van Sy house, one senior professed brother, Vu Thanh Nguyen, MSC, accepts the profession of Tinh Dao Anh Nguyen, MSC, within a Liturgy of the Hours, Morning Prayer, because there is no priest there.

In Banh Van Tran house, it celebrated at the same time with the Eucharist. Director of scholastic accepts the profession of two brothers: Thanh Vu Nguyen, MSC; and Tien Minh Nguyen, MSC.

Sending picture for us, Uncle Đẹp Lão, MSC said: “I pray that you will hang in there, stay connected in whatever way you can.” Yep, we are living within the pandemic, and among fear, panic and suspicion, but we do not allow these negative spirits of the pandemic to disturb us much in any aspect of life. However, this is not a time to blame it, but a time to recover life from death, and hope to hopeless. Renewal of vows of our brothers is a living witness for that. They show their wholehearted trust to God. We, MSC members, are so joyful and happy to join with them in this atmosphere and spirit. Like a tree in the picture, we are trying our best to cling on to God in order to regain life and hope for ourselves and for people.

Written by Quang, MSC.

_PS.  Our Vietnamese Scholastics did their annual retreat via Yahoo Messenger (photo attached of the holy retreatants)